Tires
 

Toughest touring tire

Hi I am looking for the toughest longest lasting touring tire in a 26 inch by 1 1/2 inch

Most 26" "touring" tires seem to be 1.75" or wider.

When I was searching for a 26" tour tire, Marathon Mondials seemed to be the consensus "toughest", but they are 2". I went with a bit less tough option, but one that was still generally favorably looked upon, the 1.75" Conti Travel Contact.

Not at the 1.5 level. Never used one I would consider tough. Side walls usually suffer in the rocks.

Are you certain you can't fit something wider?

I think in my experience and by general consensus, having been reading these forums for a while, the Marathon Plus is about the toughest tire out there. And it comes in 26 x 1.5. I found it a little harsh to ride, but acceptable, but if I were going to use that tire again, I'd go with the widest available version for maximum comfort, not the 1.5.

Thank you but would a 2.0 wide tire be any slower harder to pedal than the 1.5 version
?

Nope, probably easier if you are carrying a heavy load because you'll have to run really high pressures in the 1.5" which will then ride rough. If you want tough with lower rolling resistance, then the 2.0" Mondials are probably the go to tyre, especially if you need to do light off road or heavy gravel because their better flexibility will give them better grip on uphills and downhills.
It's always a trade off, the maximum puncture resistance is with thick rubber under the tread, but this increases drag. Tyres like the Mondial use a thin high density fabric to do almost the same job.

Actually, the theory behind the thick rubber on tires like the Almotion is that, since it's a very flexy material, it has a relatively small hit to rolling resistance relative to the amount of protection it provides. The drawback is that it adds more weight than a thin puncture protection layer made from a tough material.

I'm not sure if this has been characterized in real-world testing, but hysteresis tests on steel drums seem to side with the reasoning. On bicyclerollingresistance, for instance, the Marathon tires with thick flexy belts tend to see their resistance increase much slower with decreasing pressures than the ones with thick tough belts.

I went from 2.1 knobbies to 2.0 slicks to 1.75 inverse tread (like the Marathons) on my MTB before deciding to repurpose it as a tourer. Going from knobbies to slicks made FAR more of a difference than dropping that next quarter inch. Can't speak to 1.5, but the difference between the 2 and 1.75 was negligible, to the extent it played no part in my latest tire decision.

Speaking on tire toughness, how much do different tire pressures affect longevity and punctures? I'm using ~58PSI on my 26x1.75 non-plus Marathons which is comfy but is it maybe sub optimal in this aspect?

Recently I compared Schwalbe Marathon Performance with Greenguard 1.5", Schwalbe Big Ben with raceguard 2.0", and Continental Cruise Contact 2.0". For speed, I tested each set of tires on the same bike, same wheels, and the same afternoon on a short downhill near my house. I found the two Schwalbe tires coasted at about the same speed, and provided about the same comfort level. The Continental were slower and I don't plan to use those tires again.

The Schwalbe's have a generally good reputation for durability.

Has anyone tried the marathon plus HS 440 with Flatless protection?

Marathon Plus is a great tire if you need a set to do a trip around the world.

Rock hard side walls, super thick rubber protection, and long lasting tire. Also they ride like crap, feel like riding on solid rubber and heavier than Chris Christie.

Thanks so what would you recommend?

There's ALWAYS a compromise, In everything, there is no free lunch... Thicker tyres with thicker tubers WILL last longer without a flat than thinner tires and thinner tubes... That's a fact Jack... It's just the way it works... :innocent:

I've been using 700c x 36mm SMP for 5 years now, 2 metal flats. 6 or 7 tires with a total 41,000 tire miles. None retired yet, one had a 1/4" tread cut. My tour bike was 120 + 170 lbs. ZERO worry.
Yah they feel stiff sometimes, but they don't care if 55 or 75 lbs air. My air gauge broke in Vietnam where replacements don't exist. They will go half around the world no doubt. My 3 year old tires are still good enough for a trans-am this spring I think. Only tires I use now.

I am finished with any Conti tire again, damn crackers.

You want the toughest? Marathon Plus it is.

However, my coach used to say "If a tire can lean against a wall and stand on it's own, it's not worth riding."

You had a bicycle touring coach?

lol!

Well it depends on how much load you are carrying, but it sounds too high to me. I would try around 40psi based on the 15% drop chart. Then experiment with higher and lower pressures. It can easily turn into a religious dispute.

PSI Calculator

I wonder how you end up with the result. I didn't know I said I had a bicycle touring coach.

The new SMPs are supposed to be softer riding. I can't find out until I go another 20,000 miles on the ones I have. Thin tires thru road construction zones with 290 lbs??, no thanks. One day in the spring I hit a sharp pot hole with low pressure. Dented the rim 2mm, but not even a pinched tube. Both still in use.

We are talking about touring tires.
You said:

I assume it was a bike touring coach No? My bad? Otherwise, what would the relevance of say.. what a racing coach says about racing tires have to do with touring tires.

I Used Suomi Nokian Utility Bike tires on my 1997 bike tour, 10 months later they still looked like new ..

I have a pair of 25 year old studded tires of theirs still reliable when ever i break out the bike for Ice on the Street.

A hard long wearing tire compound is the opposite of a fast cornering lightweight tire.